Reflections on the past three weeks on Thanksgiving Eve:
The Fumes of the 2024 Election
— Victor Davis Hanson (@VDHanson) November 27, 2024
Three weeks after the election and the fallout from it, we are starting to appreciate the clarity of the vote. It explains much of the present, the past, and the future.
Consider the following:
1. Even Donald Trump’s enemies are beginning,…
[Saturday update]
The Democrats remain in denial.
[Bumped]
Well wish me luck I have to go to thanksgiving dinner today over a relative’s house where almost everyone there is strongly democratic. Probably still in shell shocked mourning over Kamala’s Harris’s “ompletely undeserved” loss. I will try to avoid political discussions but I don’t think that will work.
How’d it go? You end up wearing any of yesterday’s meal? 🙂
No I didn’t wear my dinner but it got heated after dinner. My host seems to be of the impression that Donald Trump is still going to jail in January of 2029; when Bragg’s soon to be paused case he thinks will resume. He appears to be in total denial that Trump has likely beaten all the cases holding up the slimest hope. The level of wilful ignorance is staggering. I had to repeatedly explain to him for instance what the 34 so-called felonies actually were to his incredulous disbelief among other things. He refused to accept that judge merchan was deliberately not sentencing Trump (to prevent Trump from appealing as you likely know you can’t appeal a conviction until after your sentenced)
Withholding sentencing for a period of five years with litigation suspended at the same time seems fraught with Bill of Rights violations. I can think of at least three amendments and possibly more. As a civil rights attorney what a way to earn some chops before the SCOTUS. Supremacy clause will win out.
Judge Merchan gave Trump’s lawyers the authority to petition to have everything dismissed. It’s Alvin Bragg (who’s running for re-election next year) who wants to just pause everything until January of 2029 and then pick up where he left off. The case with the marine they’re trying to railroad the one who probably saved lives isn’t going well for him. So he wants to keep his conviction of Donald Trump and run on that; he “got” Donald Trump as he promised. if Merchan sentenced Trump and it was appealed and thrown out he’d lose that to run on.
Glad to hear you didn’t need a raincoat INDOORS. 🙂
My host seems to be under the impression…
Politics aside, assuming the meal was good and the fact that you accepted the invitation, might I suggest a tactic in the future you might find of some use? Try to nail down as closely as possible the time of the serving of the meal. Then at exactly one hour later arrange to have a friend (not there, that is key) call you to say “hi”. Then tell your host and guest that it was a neighbor calling saying they spotted smoke either in your backyard or behind your apartment (whatever is appropriate) and excuse yourself. Will preserve your chances to a return invite to a good meal…
After the heated argument about that we were able to sit down and watch the Dallas Cowboys play (I kind of begged off at halftime and went home early).
On the Trump situation my relatives are hopelessly biased he my host still argued against the obvious observation that Joe Biden is cognitively challenged which he clearly is.
His thought was that the debate was just a bad night. He wanted to know where I got the idea from I basically said gee..I don’t know my eyes pretty much. His reply to that was something to the effect that I’m not a Doctor so I can’t tell that he has dementia.
As an aside it’s just possible that not all of my relatives have Trump derangement syndrome. They’re probably smart enough to keep private their feelings about Trump.
I suspect some of them (especially the male ones) actually voted for Trump and wisely kept quiet about it.
Ugh watching the Cowboys. At least I got to see the Bears totally mismanage the final 30s of their game with the Lions. Enough to get the Bears coach fired late in the season. Hope that comedy was worth the cable run Rand.
It was, but what really made it worth it was watching Michigan, a three-score underdog, beat Ohio State. Again.
It is good your relationships are healthy enough that you went and that they invited you. Everyone has strong feelings and it is important not to let those get in the way of family.
We avoided politics this year as far as I know and I hope it is the same for Christmas. I almost messed up talking about how healthy red meat is though :*)
Tim writes:
“The level of wilful ignorance is staggering. I had to repeatedly explain to him for instance what the 34 so-called felonies actually were to his incredulous disbelief among other things. ”
That’s rampant among the Lefties. They think Trump went open loop in the last 2-3 weeks and clearly showed dementia. I don’t know how they conclude that so it must be just what they want to believe. Projection is their go-to method: Biden is clearly demented so Trump must be also.
I see discussion with lefties as a no-win situation. You’ll never convince them because they see and hear only one side. The closest some of my lefty acquaintances came was when the debate showed them what we knew for years: that Biden had lost it. They admitted they were duped.
But somehow….someway…they worked their way out of the reality and got back to fooling themselves within a week.
The lesson didn’t stick.
Does Trump have the mandate of heaven and if so, will he use it wisely? We have a brief moment to fix some existential problems and the solutions are in conflict with each other. Cutting spending while building up the military to face threats is a major challenge.
Will the mandate be enough to take on Putin, who views himself as answering the call of destiny or Xi who seeks to build a civilization that will last 1000 years as the primacy of humanity?
It seems China’s declining population within a couple decades, will be problem in the 1000 year plan. It seems totalitarian governments have a problem in maintaining their populations.
I sincerely believe we can cut the military budget by a factor of 10 and remain the most secure homeland on Earth bar maybe Australia. The gotcha is that this will result in significant deglobalization because we would be essentially giving up a near-global trade empire. Countries that trade with us will have to contribute to sea lane defense which will raise the sticker price of consumer goods and temporarily disrupt supply chains, all leading to inflation. The all in cost will be lower though. Both Trump and Biden largely pursued this strategy
Australia is secure because the Chinese have bought a fair amount of it and also our politicians. The going rate for an Australian Senator at last count was A$35000. Just over US$23000.
Cheap at the price.
Looks like the first crackhead Hunter Biden has been pardoned by his father Joe Biden after his sincere promise not to do so. I wonder how many other Bidens will be pardoned following him before the “big guy” rides of into thes sunset.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-pardons-son-hunter-biden-ahead-exit-from-oval-office
Well here’s a thought. Not sure I agree with the idea, but it is interesting…
https://reason.com/volokh/2024/12/02/how-to-ban-lame-duck-pardons/
I gave your pardon
Never smoke meth in the Rose Garden…
I would hope SCOTUS will regard pardons as only applicable to crimes where a person has been charged, tried and found guilty.
I’m surprised scumbag Joe hasn’t pardoned Hunter for any future crimes.
The words “may have” and “taken part in”, reads to me as a blanket pardon.
https://x.com/seanmdav/status/1863388862896099423
…and the fact that the pardon extends *back in time* to 2014.
“…and the fact that the pardon extends *back in time* to 2014.”
Which is amazing in itself since the DOJ (under Trump and Biden) made sure to allow the statute of limitations to run out on the most serious crimes Hunter Biden was accused of. Added “insurance” I guess against the incoming Trump administration (hopefully) better DOJ. However nothing would stop said DOJ (or Congress) from subpoenaing Hunter (and the other crooked Bidens) to testify under oath about their activities. If they commit perjury Joe Biden’s pardon wouldn’t protect them from lying about said crimes; it doesn’t apply to crimes committed in the future. So they would either for the edification of the American people admit to said crimes or risk prosecution for perjury. The same principal could presumably be applied to of course Alvin Bragg, Leticia James, Jack Smith, Fani Willis, and/or their respective staffs; presidential pardon or no pardon.
Did Hunter Biden lose his 5th amendment rights with pardon?
“Hunter Biden can be compelled to testify against his father Fifth amendment rights don’t apply anymore, expert says He still has 5th amendment rights for state charges ”
https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/hunter-biden-5th-amendment-pardon/
And of course…any perjury he commits during said testimony wouldn’t be protected by his pardon. And there are the other Bidens involved in the influence peddling/bribery scheme; yet to be pardoned who nonetheless could be compelled to testify under penalty of perjury (or contempt of Congress/Court) even if pardoned.